Copy of open letter from Nick, announcing his departure from Sikorsky.
To My Friends at Sikorsky
I spent 32 great years at Sikorsky Aircraft, and had the great pleasure of working with professionals from all the phases of Sikorsky's history - those who built the Flying Boats, the VS-300, the fantastic big machines of the 1950's that revolutionized flight, the Hawk generation that made our military a true vertical fighting machine, the Comanche that changed the way we think about systems integration and now the S-92, the first true 21st century helicopter.
There was not a day that I did not learn something new, something about helicopters, or about people or about the way folks work together. It was nothing short of wonderful!
How can I decide to move to a new company, and a new area? I was the Chief R&D test pilot!! I love change, and I love the sense of uncertainty and excitement when I am not certain what will happen, when I must try to make an outcome with only limited knowledge of what will happen. I also love flying machines of all kinds, and I love working with good teams to get great things accomplished.
Sikorsky provided all that in wonderful Technicolor, for three decades! Now I hope (and truly believe) Gulfstream will do the same. They are a great company, one founded through a philosophy very similar to Sikorsky - Dedication to technical excellence, customer service and safety. When I met with Gulfstream Executives, they all spoke glowingly of Sikorsky's reputation, and THEY made the comparison!
I sent this letter to my supervisors to tell them how I felt, let me share it with you:
I face the difficult task of announcing my retirement from Sikorsky Aircraft. I have had the ride of a lifetime with a great group of people here at Sikorsky, people who design, build, test and support the finest helicopters on the planet. In the past 32 years, I have had Sikorsky in my blood, flying, testing and building those great machines, and living in the shadow of our founder, Igor Sikorsky.
I have before me an exciting opportunity for career growth, meeting new challenges in a company that makes airplanes. I find that must move on, I cannot resist this next call. I have made this decision in spite of my complete faith in Sikorsky’s people, products and future, a future that will show Sikorsky continuing to be the finest in Vertical Flight. Please know that I will always have a Winged S stamped indelibly on me, and I will always have a warm spot in my heart for all my Sikorsky friends.
With Greatest Respect,
Nick Lappos.
Gulfstream Press Release
NICHOLAS (NICK) D. LAPPOS JOINS GULFSTREAM AS VICE PRESIDENT, GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS
SAVANNAH, Ga.
Gulfstream Aerospace, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics, has hired Nicholas (Nick) D. Lappos as vice president, government programs. In this new role, Lappos will be responsible for all business-jet aircraft programs for government and military use - from the bid and proposal phase through the delivery and post-delivery activities. He will be based at Gulfstream's Savannah, Ga., major manufacturing facility.
Prior to joining Gulfstream, Lappos was a 32-year employee with Sikorsky Aircraft. Most recently, he served as director of the VXX presidential helicopter program. Previously, he was program manager for the S-92 helicopter and director of test engineering for the company's West Palm Beach, Fla., flight-test center. Spending most of his career in research and development, Lappos served as both a test pilot and the chief pilot for R&D. He was also a flight instructor for various Sikorsky model helicopters and has helped train the flight crews of several heads of state, including that of the President of the United States.
"Nick's background, especially his R&D and program management experience, makes him ideal for this position," said Pres Henne, senior vice president, programs, engineering and test, Gulfstream. "We look forward to Nick joining the organization and helping Gulfstream continue to advance in the government programs area."
Buddy Sams, Gulfstream senior vice president, government programs and sales, said, "Government and special mission aircraft have accounted for 10 to 15 percent of Gulfstream's annual production. The addition of Nick to our team will ensure our continuing focus on this important market sector."
A recognized leader in the aerospace industry and author of numerous technical papers and articles, Lappos has been awarded the Frederick L. Feinberg Award by the American Helicopter Society (AHS) for most outstanding achievement as a pilot three separate times - once for his individual effort and two times for team efforts. The AHS also appointed Lappos a Fellow in 1994 for outstanding achievement in the vertical flight industry. A member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, he won the Ray E. Tenhoff Award for the most outstanding presentation to the association's annual symposium.
Lappos earned a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. A helicopter pilot in the U.S. Army, he logged 900 combat flying hours in Vietnam and was awarded the Bronze Star. Lappos also holds helicopter and a fixed-wing pilot certificates with both instrument and instructor ratings. He has more than 7,000 flight hours of experience in more than 75 different types of aircraft.